Moles are warm blooded mammals that have a tiny body. However, there are about twenty species of Illinois moles. The appearance of moles change with the variation of species. There are eastern moles, western moles, European moles, american shrew moles, hairy tailed moles, star nosed moles and so on. As the species alters, the food habit of the moles also differ a little.



Appearance
The male moles are slightly larger than the female moles. If the male Chicago Suburbs moles are 18 centimetres in height, the female moles are of 16 centimetres. They have very small eyes and therefore they have a poor eyesight. But they have a keen sense of smell, as their snout has powerful noses. They however do not have external ears. They have quite a thick layer of fur on their body which appears in many colours, ranging from grey to black. The moles have sharp claws with which they dig the soil.

Biology and Life Cycle
The moles mate from February to April. The female Illinois moles give birth within four to six weeks. At one go, the female moles can give birth to about 6 baby moles maximum. The baby moles live with their mother for four to five weeks while they are being nursed, then they are abandoned by their mother. The baby moles start mating after they have lived for ten months. A mole's lifespan is usually five to six years. But it naturally varies because they have many natural predators, such as, dogs, cats, badgers, and some predatory birds etc.

Habitat
Moles can comfortably live in both dry and wet places. They are found in most parts of the world. They are native to Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and so on. They live in woodlands, marshes, hayfields and even in human territory where they make their burrows in the yard.

Diet
A Chicago Suburbs mole eats worms, insects, slugs etc. But some big moles like the star nosed moles that live near waterbodies often eat fish. They often eat mice as well. They use their snout to eat. The moles are very serious about collecting food. They have a big appetite and they are constantly eating something or the other at regular intervals. They have poisonous saliva with which they incapacitate the insects before eating them. They store food for winter, although they do not hibernate.

Habits
Moles are solitary creatures. They mate because of biological reasons, otherwise they do not feel any connection with their partners. Even the mother Illinois mole abandons the baby moles after nursing them for a short while. Moles have specific territory and since they do not feel any connection with each other, they are extremely protective of their own territory. Moles are diggers. They restlessly dig holes, they can dig perhaps an eighteen cm hole within one hour. Moles are very active creatures, but they often create nuisance for human beings when they intrude human property and damage crops and gardens.

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